Harbinger Motors is a new electric vehicle (EV) startup based in Los Angeles, California, that aims to disrupt the medium-duty truck market with its innovative and cost-effective EV platforms. The company, founded by veterans of Canoo and QuantumScape, unveiled its debut products at the Detroit Auto Show on Wednesday.
The products are two EV platforms that are optimized for medium-duty trucks, such as delivery vans, box trucks, tow trucks and dump trucks. These trucks fall between light-duty pickups and heavy-duty semitrucks in terms of size and weight, and are typically built to order for fleets by companies called upfitters.
Harbinger’s platforms are designed to work within the existing medium-duty ecosystem, offering upfitters a ready-to-build electric chassis that can be customized to their commercial customers’ needs. The platforms use motors and other technology developed in-house by Harbinger, specifically to meet the needs of a market segment where trucks are expected to be in service for up to 20 years.
The first platform is a “cab chassis”, which comes with a passenger compartment and can serve as a foundation for vehicles like box trucks and tow trucks. The second platform is a “strip chassis”, which does not have a cab and can be used for vehicles like delivery vans. Both platforms have a range of up to 250 miles on a single charge and can be recharged in less than an hour using DC fast charging.
No EV premium
Harbinger claims that its platforms offer best-in-class performance and durability, as well as the hardware and redundant systems needed for autonomous driving. The company also says that its platforms have a zero cost acquisition premium, meaning that they will be comparable in price to existing internal-combustion options.
Harbinger’s CEO and co-founder John Harris said that the company is aiming to electrify a market segment that has not been well-served by the industrywide move to EVs. He said that the medium-duty truck industry is “starving for innovation” and that Harbinger is leveraging its deep experience in electrification to rethink the medium-duty vehicle market.
Innovation in a familiar form
Harris has a background in battery, hardware and mechanical engineering from work at Anduril Industries, Boeing, Faraday Future and Xos Trucks. He is joined by co-founders Phillip Weicker, who is the chief technology officer (CTO) and has worked at Canoo, Faraday Future, QuantumScape and Coda Automotive; and Will Eberts, who is the chief operating officer (COO) and has worked at Canoo, Faraday Future and SpaceX.
Harbinger plans to start production of its platforms in late 2023 at its facility in Los Angeles. The company has already secured orders from several fleet customers, including Ryder System Inc., a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions. Harbinger expects to deliver its first vehicles in early 2024.
Harbinger is one of several EV startups that are targeting the commercial vehicle market, which is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years as more businesses and governments adopt cleaner and more efficient transportation solutions. Harbinger hopes to stand out from the competition by offering a unique value proposition for medium-duty truck customers: familiar form, revolutionary foundation.
